Production of metals from their ores



Sept. 30, 1952 R. RUMMEL 2,612,444

PRODUCTION OF METALS FROM THEIR ORES Filed May 12, 1949 2 Sl-[EET SSHEE'I 1 INVENTOR.

Sept. 30, 1952 R. RUMMEL 2,612,444

PRODUCTION OF METALS FROM THEIR ORES Filed May 12, 1949 2 swam-SHEET 2 w P16 ,4; 33 I 35 [NV TOR. MM

Patented Sept. 30, 1952 Y I PnonUcTioNoF METALS FaoM THEIR ORES- a,

1 a Roman Bumm'el, Dusseldorf Benrath; Germany Application May 12, 1949, Serial No. 92,833

. In Germany December 28,1948

(omens "1 3 Claims,

This invention relate tonew and uSefuLimE provements in the production of metalsfrom their ores. a

One object of the, inventioncomprises a new and useful method for .ther'eduction to metal of metal ores and preferably of oxidic ores such asironores. I Another object of the invention comprises 1 a new. and useful device for carrying out the methodvin accordance with the invention. I

The foregoing and still iurther objects of the invention may be apparent f romthe following description. read in conjunction with the draw: ingsinwhich: f

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view representation illustrating one. embodiment of the device in accordance with theinvention; p H 7 Figs. 2, 4 and 6. represent respectively diagrammatic side view representations ofalternative embodiments of the device in, accordance Withthe-invention; Fig. 3 shows a diagrammatic 'crossesect'ion throughthe constructionofFig, 2 onthe plane AB thereof; w

Fig. 5 illustrates a diagrammatic;cross-sec; tional view through the constructionshown in Fig.4 on the plane C- D thereof I Fig. 7- i1lustrates a diagrammatic side View resentationof a preferred embodiment of thedee vicein accordance with the invention, and'Yshow ing various ancillary structural arrangements; and

matic. .-cross-sectional representations or parts thereof illustrating alternative means for the introduction of reactants into the. device" in accord ance with the invention. 7

Figs; 8, Q'Tan'd 10, respectively. how diagram- Within bmad' b ent of 'the ,zriethd in accordance-with the v invention, the ore'to be I reduced to metal is treated, .w'hile in amolten slag withareducing agent for the ore and sub},- stantiallyv while introducingv a combustionnsupe porting gas into the slag.

Within a preferred embodiment slag containing the ore, and preferably anoxidic ore, such as. iron ore is treated with a substantially particledcombustible material .of the coalof the method in accordance with the invention,"the molten v. 2 r action products .of differe'nt oxides, the' most common and important of which are silica, lime and alumina. Qxide mixtures in the slag may be present asbinary, or as ternarysysterns as well as in the form, of various euteticsFb'etweendifferent oxides, as is well understood inflthe art.

Slags useful in accordance with the invention maybe individually producedii desiredgin' accordan'ce withjpractices conventional in, for in stance metallurgical processes, or, the'yj'may be convenientlyiobtained by way of the ,slags used in such" processes as, for instance, in thereducti'on to metal of, for example iro'n ore. A1 ternatively the slag may be, obtained,,in accordance with my preferred practice, by wayof the substantially non-combustible residues of coal products. In that case the slag may be obtained for instance fromv (a coal gasification; procedure conducted under conditions of slag formation with the addition of soda ash and lime (if necessary Most conveniently, lioweven such slag may be individually prepared by charging a slag reservoir or tub-with coal, soda-ash and lime in appropriate proportions, asv are well under-- stood'in theart, and then subjectingthe charge which, a, suitable tower, isch'arged with a co'mbustible' material such as coal, soda ash and usually the further; additionof lime, and thereupon subjected tothe action of a combustion supporting gas such as oxygen and/or .airand steam and/or fCOh 'The' coal is ga'sifie d to form an industrially usam combustible gas and, instead a of ash .o'rclinker. residue which would normally beobtained, 'amolten slag formedas a result of the. presence of the lime and/or soda ash which converts the 'relatively high melting residual silica andaluminum compounds of the coal into lower melting. products forming the slag which continuouslyv flows from the reaction zone into a suitable slag reservoir. If .the particular'-.'type of; coalusedj already carries sufficient Ca fcontai ing' constituents as, forinstance, .a' limey shale, the addition of lime may be. omitted.

The; reducing agent useful in accordance. with the. inventionlfor:v treatment .of. the ,molten' slag containing the metal ore may; be any suitable reducin agent conventionally used, fo'rj thereductipn to metalfof {metal ores and particularly iron oxide ores, provided, however, that the reducing agent or agents used and participating in the ore to metal reduction substantially tend to create an endothermic balance of' reaction. I prefer, however, to add as the reducing agent a substantially solid combustible material of the coal type and preferably in particled form, and

cled material and/a gaseous reducing agent. In the latter case, the-method inaccordancefwith the invention may be advantageously coupled for best results a combination of such a partiwith the production of an industrially valuable i combustible gas mixture by introducing an endothermically reacting gasification' agent such as Water or CO2 and so proportioning the reducing agent and the endothermic gasification. re-j fectively reducing the metal ore to metaL a molten slag within tub 2.

tively high velocity through nozzles 4 into the The introduction of the high velocity combustion supporting gas imactants that appreciable amounts of Hz and CO p are recoverable from the reaction zone, :wh'i-lelefe 1 Agitation is preferably carried out in the molten I slag and particularly when a particled reducing agent such as of the coal type is used. The

reduction offmetallic ore to metal by carbon is substantially an endothermic reaction, i. e., a reaction which proceeds with absorption of heat. There isthenacontinuing loss from the molten slag bath'ofthe heat required for reaction; This loss is accentuated-when additionally endothermic gasificationagents are used for reaction with a particledcombustible' material of, for instance, the coal'type, and'proportioned to produce appreciableamountsof a combustible gas mix. Though 'side reactions of anexothermic nature may occur, the balance of reactionis predominantly endothermic. This-heat loss, however is substantially replenished'by the introduction of acombustion-supporting gas such as oxygen, air, oro'xygen -enriched air, into-the moltenslagb'ath. This "combustion supporting gas "is then preferably introduced into the slag bath at a relatively highyelocity so as toimpart thereto the neces- 1 Sexy agitation and'within its preferred applica tion a-substantially cyclic'motion of or withi'n the sla'gbath; The combustion supporting gas'reacts 'exothemiical'ly with the'balance of combustible material suchias coal which is distributed in the slag bath-to continuously replenish the heat loss I "occasioned by the endothermic reaction thereby eifecting substantial constancy of temperature within the molten'slag containing the ore.

'The'clevice in'accordance with the invention together with *severalrmodifications thereof is shown-in the drawings, and is described in the following-in conjunction with specific applica tionsrifgmy nevvmethod.

Referring {to Fig. l; "a-conventional tower l is provided 'at'the bottom thereof with the niolten slag reservoir or tub 2. Gasnozzlesi4 'are";pro vided in eccentric "position at the bottom -of tub 2 and are supplied TM "a "suitable exothermic reactant-such as "oxygen; air,-'or oxygen enriched air from a source 8'throughi'duct I and'manifold 9. -A'suitably drivenfeeder-for combustible inaterial/such as the jwormfeeder 3, is .provided, with its 'feedxend 6g passing into tub 2 onone side thereof and jpreferably near the bottom;

Feeder .3 is provided at one end with hopper opening-"5 for feeding. particled "coal material as, forfins'tance, brown "coal, and preferably] more or'lessigranular coal, into the-feeder 3; A"duc.t 6 enteringthe feeder 3 at "the feedfend' of the worm -'is"provided for the admission of an iendothermi'cally reacting gasifying agent'su'ch as steam, CO2, or-the-like.

Slag reservoir or "tub 2is filled with molten slag, Granular orrparticled coal such as parts a certain turbulence to the molten slag, and the eccentric position of the nozzle with respect tethebottom of the slag tub 2 imparts at the sametime to the slag a circulatory motion as, forinstance, indicated by the arrows Ill. The metal ore distributes in the slag, the distribution being aided by the turbulence within the slag. At the sametime'the particled coal is distributed in the slag and intimately contacted with-the distributed iron ore reacting therewithto-reduce the same *to metal which continuously separates from-the molten slag and continuously deposits ina depression or collector reservoir [4 at-thebottom of the slag tub, whence it may be'withdi'awn through drawofi arrangement I5 arranged in the conventional mannerffor either periodic withdrawal mar-substantially continuous overflowof the moltenmetal from the collector reservoir '14. j Theiron'ore should be preferably relatively particled, in order to facilitate its distribution in the slag bath. A suitable gaseous reducing 7 agent; such-as CO or producer gas or the like,

maybe used if desired'and may then be added for instance byway of "the duct 6.

It is inmost cases-desirable to introduce a substantially reactant gas such as an endothermic reactant gas (CO2, steam or the like") 01' "a reducinggas (CO, producer gas, or the like) or; otherw'isefany *suitable'substantially inert gas byway o'fthe-gas-duct '6, inorder to aid the introduc tion of the solid material whether it be -ore, coal, ora mixture thereof.

Thus,- as shown in Fig. an endothermic gasification reactant-such-as steamor CO2 may be passed throughduct 6, and preferably under pressurainto andthrough duct 6a thence issuing into the molten-slagin tub 2. illustrated, the en'd'othermically reacting gas thus enters at the feed end of worm feed 3 and aids in the further transport of the "combustible material and of the metal OreKaSSumingthese'in'this case to be introduced as'a mixture) passing the same with a certain velocity into the molten-slag bath and thus further aiding the distribution of the combus'tible material therein as well fasthe distribution foi'fthe ore within'theslag. The distribution efiects are "further supported ,by *the turbulence imparted to the molten slag "by the injection actionbf the combustion supporting gas "issuing from nozzles 4. i I jTirecombustible material as, :ior instance, coal, asv'rell as jthe mtagl' ore such as iron' ore, may be converted to more .or less 'granular r'p icled I "by .the".use, for instance, of" conventional be hro ghthe hgpperjopeningifwith"a'certain ib. turecontent. rm-s ay; *bethe moisture con tent as "it "comes from the' mines. The inns-tare content of the'materi'als' can be used inthi's man. ner to conveniently/introduce one oft e "endoe thermio reactants. The'moisture contentmay be controlled to any desired predetermined. amount by eitherfa preliminary drying operation, or the addition of moisture as may beinecessary. .If moist materials 'areused, they further aid in any dissolution and distribution within the molten slag bath as the. case may -be,-since thewater content is: almost explosively gasified in contact withxthe molten slag. bath at the same time furnishing andsfinely distributing steam for participation in the endothermic 'gasification reaction. lfndesired, the endothermic gasification reactants including. combustible material such ascoal, may be .advantageously'.so proportioned that at the .same timethe gasification reaction results-in theliormation of: appreciable amounts of .combustiblegasesthat may be recovered and put to industrial use. It ispossible to use the moisture content. oilthe introduced materials as the'sole source for the endothermic'gasification: reactant in which case additional endothermic reactant gas need not: be introduced separately such as through duct or ducts 6. However, it is preferred to introduce some gaseous agent through duct 6 to aid the feeding of the combustible material into the. slag bath and when it. is desired to solely rely upon the-moisture content of the combustible material as the source'for-the endothermic asification reaction, the gas supplied through-duct- 6 may then be any other suitable gas, including, if.;desired, a combustion supporting gas crap inert gas. Itis, of course, understood to avoid in such case any gas that might interfere with the desired gasification of the combustible material ormay cause the presence of undesirable constituents in the g'as'mixture passing off through duct- As the molten slag circulates by the impelling force of the high velocity combustion supporting gas issuing through nozzles 4=and as schematically indicated by'arrows In, the finely distributed carbon particles are thus brought into constant 'recurrent intimate contact with both the 'endo--' thermic (including metal ore) and the exothermic reactants. through-nozzles 4, such as oxygen, air, or oxygenenriched air, causes a combustion with the liberation of heat- The metal ore is reduced to metal by the C, essentially consuming heat in the proc ess." The endothermic reactant 'gas, such as water vapor (derivedfor example by way of the moisture: content of "the combustible material material CO' and H2, essentially consuming heat in this reaction. If CO2 wereto beintro'duced (Among the advantages enjoyed the procedure 'in accordance with the invention are the fact that the same .lends gitself satisfactorily to the nsect low grade ores and bituminous -mat eri als of the coal type. The combustible material.

such as coal, whether bituminous or any'other type, doesnot require any particular degree of firmnessor compactness,.need not be 'free' from flnesiand need ,notpossess non-sintering or non- I baking characteristics. If a bituminous material,-

The exothermic reactant introducedand/or ore)}"reacts to form with the combustible such as soft orbrotvn coalppea't, shale 'or the like, is used, theproceclure in accordance with the invention permits the gasification reaction to proceed in such manner that a minimum of distilla tion'products, traceable to thebituminous-cone by a number- 5 er variations thereof is shown zin I Fig. '2, et'seq.s*-Itis essentially concerned with the simultaneous production of combustiblegases in the application of thebroad principleof the invention by. effecting a separation ofthe gasesresultingrespectively from the endothermic and exothermicreaction phases occurring within the molten s'lagbath.

.As-for ins'tanceillustrated in Fig. 2, there are prbvidedtwo separate towers la and'lb having the gaslead-offs l is and l l-b'respectively.-- A slag reservoirlor tub' is provided having the sub-* portions 2a and 2?) respectively. Ducts l2 and-I 3 interconnect sub portions 2a and 2b and are-preferably soarranged thatduct l2 leads from a point just below the surface of the molten slag inthe" tub atZa to a point adjacent the 'bottomoflthe tub at 22), and duct l3-leads from apoint justbe low the surface" of the molten slag in tub at 2b. to a pointaadjacent the bottom of the tub-at-Ea'i .Duct..l3 extends at its bottom'portion. intothe molten metal collector reservoir l la'having the .draweofizilfiaz- The bottomv of the slag tub portion'2'a carries nozzles 4 (see Fig, 3) issuing from p A multiple Lnumber manifold 9, fed by duct l. of inlets for the combustible material such as coal and/or ore, and for the gaseous endothermic reactant 0f the type and arrangement shown ancl' described in connection with Fig. l are provided,

passingitheselmaterials through the ducts Go into theimolt'en slag within the tub portion 21) and preferably at a point adjacent the bottomthereof.

The introduction of materials into the strucgas issuing .with a relatively high velocity from nozzles4 into themolten slag in tub portion 2a impartsturbulent:agitationto the bath andat thesametime-a motion in the direction of" the arrow thereby-forcing a molten slag current 'flow; into and through duct t2, thence'asindicated by the arrows into andv through'slag tub portion 21), and thence intoand through duct 13 back into. slag tub portion 2a. .As ore, such as iron. ore,

and combustible material, such as coal, enter= throughv ducts 6a into. the slag inv tub portion 2b, theore is substantially dissolved and the coal is distributedinand picked up by the circulating.

slag and thusly carried in intimate contact with the orethrough duct 13.

coal is carried in the slag current into the tub portion 2a. The gaseous.=;iendothermic reactant,

such .aswater, introduced; for instance, byway of'the moisture content of the combustible ma terialand/or ore, or, separately introduced in the form of steam, passes throughv the slag, being intimately contacted'thereinjin tub portion 21) withthe'ore and combustiblematerial as they The reduced metal= separates-from the slag andiacc'umulates in c01 lector reservoir [4a, while the-balance, of .ithe

are circulated and agitated by the slag current v which is set up by the impeller ellect of the high velocity combustion "supporting gas issuing,

through the nozzles '4 into tub portion, 2a; The

aseous endothermic material reacts endothermicallyswith the combustible material in the tub portion 2b and the gases resultingfrom-that reaction .as. ,for instance, a high :grade water;gas;

are recovered in the tower l b by wayrofthe leadoff '1 I12. These reaction gases also aid-thereduction to metal of the ore. Thenon-rgasifiedportion of thev combustible material, such as :coal, is carduced in tub portion 2a is then recovered :from the tower la by way of the lead-oil Ha. Usually the volume of the combustion supporting gas introduced, through nozzles 4 is such that combustion proceeds to a large extent to CO2. In that case, particularly when air was used (introducing diluent N2, the gas mixture issuing from tower la is too lean in combustible components to be useful for most purposes exceptlfor the utilization of its heat. It is, however, possible to soadjust the reaction conditions, including the volume of combustion supporting gas, that a relatively large component of CO is obtained in the gas mix passing from tower 1a., so that a :gas of sufiicient combustion value isobtained to make its recovery practical for certain limited purposes.

There is thus broadly defined within thepreferred embodiment of the invention; as it relates to the simultaneous recovery of a combustible gas mix, the substantially continuous circulation of molten slag through a first and second reaction zone, substantially.continuously introducing particled ore, and preferably .oxidic ore such as iron ore, and :parti'cled combustiblematerialhof the-coal type into said slag in said first reaction zone, "substantially continuously fintroducing an endothermic gasification reactant .ior said material: into .said :slags-in said first zone; substantially continuously introducing :a combustion-supporting gas into said slag-in said second zone, .c'o'llecting: molten metal separating f-romasaidzs'lag, and

substantially continuously separately recovering i v the :gaseous productsnfreaction frornat least said first zone. H

-Figs. 4 and diagrammatically illustrate a variation pf. the device shown in Fi s. nd

As there exemplified; the 'slagtub comprises the lower portion of a tower harry-lug the par tition lifiyextending :rto just below. thelliquid level for the..-molten. s'laglin. the slag tub, and separating the tower into "theleducttpor-tion 1Z0 above reac- 1 tion zone '20 iandnthe :educt portion-id. above the reaction zQneJZd. -.A-.=-1 nul-tip le number of :feed units -3 are provided, tthezduots 16a of which enter the bottom of the reaction zone 2d gatzone :side,

thereof. A molten-:metalyoollectom'eservoir Minis provided and the nozzles -4 :for the combustible gas supplied by way of duct 1 and manifolds are :arranged at the bottom-of theireactionzonev 20 at one side thereofl'an'd in a positionigenerally about diagonal with respect to :the position of "the entrance openingsof the ducts 6a. The impelling action .of the high velocity combustion'c'supporting gas issuing from nozzles '4 willcause molten slag to flow upwards in zone 20 over to and downwardsin zone 2d. The introduction :of gaseous endothermic reactant, and particularly when accentuated :by the introduction under pressure of a :gaseous agent by :way' of duct 5, will cause an upward current :of slag in :zoneEZd. over to and downward :in .zone 20. In view 'of the fact that the direction of the C111IEIItiBSSEI1- tially. controlled by nozzles 4 :and "of the current essentially controlled bytheuend zopenings of ducts 6a are not indirect juxtaposition, the. injection openingsofnozzles v4 and of ducts 6a :operatein :a .manner to 'form a substantially recycling current, substantially 'as'illustrated by the arrows within the slag tub and shownin Figs.4and5. A still further variant in accordance with the preferred :embodiment of the invention .is, for instance, illustrated in Fig. 6. .As there shown, a more or less U -s'hape dtower isusedhhavingilegs Ie and I7 and gas-lead-ofis lie and I If respec' tively. A partition is provided in thelower portion of the U, separating 'thefsa-me Lintotheiree action zones 2e and '2), and defining theducts-t'l and I8 respectively between these two zones. The liquid level for the moltenslag is provided'soias to extend into the respective portions le and if. The duct 1, manifold 9, and nozzle arrangement 4 (for the combustibleigas) are mounted below the reaction zone 2e in a position somewhat higher than the bottomof the U, to provide for a nozzle discharge level above the horizontal portion of the duct l8. A collector reservoir Mcfor molten metal and carrying draw-oil is provided below reaction zone 2f. Feeding duct or ducts Ba is or are arranged to pass into the reaction zone 2 at a point below the surface, of the molten slag, at which point the introduced materials will be seized and carried away by the downwardly directed current. The .i-mpelling force of the high velocity combustion supporting gas issuing from nozzles 4 causes theslag to circulatein the direction of the arrowsfrom zonefZe to and through duct H, thence to and through zone 21, thence to and through duct l8 and back into zone 2e. Whereas thus in the previously described embodiments exemplifying devices in accordance with theinvention, theendothermic re action is carried out in an upwardly directed stream, Fig. 6 illustrates an embodiment where such reaction is accomplished while the com bustible material is passed through the endo thermic reaction zone .in a downwardly directed stream, which is particularly advantageous in the reduction to metal of many oxide ores and especially iron oxide ores. r

The device shown'in Figs. '7 and 8 exemplifies a further preferred practice and structure in accordance with the invention efiectively utilizing' the heat of theproduc'ed gases for the pre-heating" of the gasifying agents, generation of steam, and pre-dr-ying of, for instance, the combustible material. There is also illustrated in Fig. 7 a still further variant with respect to the "circulation arrangement for the molten slag bath in "that, in this case, the combustion supporting gasnozzles and entry duc'ts'ior the ore,-com-bustible material and endothermic reactant areso arranged that a :su'bstantiallyxhorizon tal circulatory motion-of theimoltenslagis obtained.

usually not as advantageous;- theme and coal may-be introduced separately by' using at leastone of the worm. feeds for one'and'thebalance of the feedsfor the-other of thesetwo materials. 1Comv bustion supporting gas is'blown' 'into'themolten slagin zone 2g by way of the-nozzles IQconnected to :manifold 43 supplied by ducti42; Nozzles 1'9 and the. feed-ducts Baof wormfeeds-3 enter their respective reaction zones a downwardly inclined position,tbeing at the same' time inclined sidewise with ,respect to the movement of the molten slag as-indicatedbyf the arrows in Fig; 8. In this mannen-a very effective intimate mixture of combustible: material, slag, and: gasification agents, is: at- ;all times assured. 1 -,Tower lh carries within the wallsrthereof, suitable cooling :means such as waterpipeslnot, shown),,-which end in water drum-tanks 20 -and:2 I ;Cooling racks having water: cooling. pipes are diagonally secured in the upper towerportiona; Theseare, for instance,

diagrammatically indicated by the racks Z2 and 23 in,the tower .-portion, lg, and the racks 24 and 25 in the: towerportion lh. These cooling racks serve the purpose of vlique'iying or solidifying portions of slag that may bepropelled upward-1y along with the reaction-gases;

Qne end of the cooling pipes-for each pair of racks 22-43 and.-2 l-25 is attached to a source of water supply and preferably to the water tank drums 20 and 2! containing pre-heated water resulting from the cooling pipesystembuilt into the walls of the tower portions I g and Hi. .The otherend of the cooling pipes of the-set, 2425 feeds into the super-heater 26. The effect of the hot gases passing thecooling racks is to convert the water therein into steam, which passes into the super-heater 2 6, in which it is superheated by the passage of the hot reaction gases in tower portion lh. Super-heater 26 iscon.- nected with the steam reservoir 21 and hasthe steam draw-oi duct 28, whence super-heated steam may be passed off to any industrial usage. Coal, of either the hard type and including coke or the like, or, of the soft or bituminous type such'as brown coal, is for instance suitably broken into particles by the use of aconventional spikedicller arrangement (not'shown), and is then continuously carried v by the endless band 29, into silo 36 whence itpasses into the. drying duct 3|. 'The pre-cooled but still hot'reaction gases; drawn oii thetop of tower portion ih by way 'of duct lle, pass into the bottom of the drying column 3} in which they carry the particled coal upwardly in a stream or current of gas, at the same time drying the same to a predetermined moisture content. The gas and particled coal pass intothe dust separator 32 in which the gas is freed of coal dust, being thereafter passed through duct 34 into and through washer 35 and thenceout through duct 36, being now ready for industrial use. Blowern3l is provided'to draw any portionof the cooled gas passing through duct34 into the hot gas passing throughduct He to-the bottom of drying column 3|. In this manner, the temperature of the gas for drying and transporting the particled coal upwardly in drying column 3| can be adjusted to obtain for the coal the de sired predetermined moisture content. The c'oal is then passed from separator 32 into-the mixing hopper 33 in which it is mixedwith particled ore such asiron ore, the mixing being'thence fed'by way of the worm feeds 3- into the reaction'zone 2h; The substantially continuously separating metal collects'in collector reservoir I ldwhnce it may be withdrawn continuously or periodically having previously-received"such hot gas, ne

receives a cooled gas (cold blowing) to impart thereto, by heat exchange, the temperature of the racks. In the'illu'stration' of Fig; 7; only one of such pair of heat exchangers is illustrated. Assuming-that the rack'sof heat exchanger have been hot blown and the reaction gases pass ing out'through duct H are now being' coolec l in'he'at exchange relation in asecondre-gener- "ato'r(not shownfii'the air '43 blowsair' through duct into the heat exchanger; 38:, thereby'prehea'ti f v the same in heat'exchan'ge relation with the previously hot blown flfrofm the reaction gases of tower-portion l g')"racl s of the exchanger; Thi's"preheated air is then passed through duct 42 into manifold 43 {and by way of, the nozzles [9 into the reaction zone 2g "I'hegas issuing from duct 36 is substantially free 'fromundesirable impurities, it isflneeyejr steam and coaIdust; and can" be passedofl directly to the intended industrial j use. Y In the particular embodiment shown; in Fig. '7,-'-'the amount of air" introduced-by, way of nozzle's l9 is preferably such that the combustib e material circulatedwithin the molten'slagin reaction zone 29 is substantially completely combusted, and the gas conducted through the heatfx-l-e changer is passed out of the exchanger byway of duct 39 leading to chimneyelimination As is apparent from theftoregoing the ovel device in accordance with the invention for the improvedreducticn to metal of metal ores essentially comprises within the broadconcept thereof means'definin'g a molten slag reservoir}? nozzle means for introducing high ,velocity combustion supporting" gas into said reservoir, :said -nozzle means being positioned arranged as impart to molten'slag in said reservoir a substantially cycling motion, means for introducing substan tially particle'd ore such as iron mints Said reservoir, means for. *introducing' a reducing agent -for"sai'd ore and "preferably a particled combustible material such" as coal into said reservoinand means at the bettom;ofsaid-reservoir positioned tocollect molten metal separating from theinolten slag in said reservoir.. l I

As willb'e further apparent from the'foregoing, the preferred device in accordancejwith thefjinvention for the reduction to metal of metal ores, and capable of serving at 'the'fsam'e" time the production of "industrially valuable combustible gases, additionally includes within the broad concept thereof means for introducing into said reservoir a gaseous endothermic g'asification re"- actant for'combustible material'of, for instance,

the coaltyp'e, and; means for recovering gaseous reaction productsfrom said'reservoir, As is still-further apparent'from theforegoing,

a-preferred device-in accordance with the in.- vention may essentially comprise 'meansdefining a firstslag reservoirreaction .zone and a second slag reservoir reaction zone nozzle. means for introducing high. velocity combustion supporting gas into one'of said reaction zones. saidnozzle means, being positioned and arranged. to impart to molten. slag in said reaction zone amolten slag current substantially-over. tmthrough; and back. from the other reaction. zone'in-substantially; a cycling motion .meansjgr. introducing particled ore and combustiblegmateriali; and gaseous. gasification. reactant for said-combustiblermaterialinto. said other reaction. zone,; means for collecting molten: metal separating;- from; the slagin at least said-otherreactionzone. and meanssfor. separately. recovering at. least the reaction gases produced: in. said;-otherreagtion zone.

It will. begenerally understoodthat" it icedeesirable-that the path; of; travel: for. the reactants through; the molten slag isgpreferably sordi-rnem sinned, and the introduction of: materials; so, re:- lated thereto, that atdeast the-gasification.-;reactions. between the. combustible.=materialand the gasification agentsgare; essentially-completed at the endof about one cycle along the. path; of

, travel of the combustible agent. Itis, however, well within the skill or. any competent.- engineer disposition or these-nozzles.-A4,.however.;-is}substantially similar to thatyofi the; nozzles is illus tratedin Fig. 8 tothereby setup-a substantially horizontal circulatory movement of. the, slag within. the: reservoir 2i; and. continue the im .pelling. of the circulatory slagcurrent thereby created. The. nozzles After Fig;, lll. supplied-by manifold. 43 are arranged at the. bottomoi. the molten; slag tub iii-and are: mounted. to issue the high velocity combustion. supporting; gas at an angle to the vertical, to thereby impartcurrent. movement to. the slag bath substantially. in the direction. ofthe arrow. H Itis. understood that when prodeedinginaccordance with Y the invention. additional molten slag iscOntinuousIy formed aspart 01 515119; gasiiir cation reaction: of the;introduced, ;comb.ustible material and the reduction to. metal. ot-the 'ore. There should, therefore, be preferably provided either conventional :overflowr arrangements. for the purpose of continuously withdrawing. excess molten slag, or, alternatively. conventional meansshould be provided for. a. periodie .w ithdrawal ofsuchae xcess slag. The excessslag itself, with or. without additives, may be. used for the. formation, such asbycasting-or melding, of. building blocks or similar materials. I It, may also be desirable fromtime to time, or, continuously (as conditionsmay require). to add suitable slagging additives for appropriate slagconversion. of: the aluminaand silica constituents continuously introducedqbythecombustible material and/orore.

The additives may also: include materials: as

may be-desircdor necessaryfonscrubbing; Purifying,.alloying.orother conventionalpurposcs.. The additives.- maybe added. in anyconvenient manner such as: by intermi-xture with the ore or: the com:- bustiblemateriaLor both..

Itis undersicodwithin the broad concept of this invention that? the; same. may; generally: serve the reduction: to:- metal of any suitable ore; normally and conventionally reducible; to? metal-by carbon at elevated temperatures as well understood. in the art: The. invention isrparticularly'. suitable in its application. to iron. and/or manganese oxides bearing ores; Thesame; however, findszltszmost advantageous application: within my' preferred concept thereof to what are generically? termed iron oxide-ores. Depending upon; various factors well understoodin. the art',.and including temperature. of. the slag, compositionof a particular ore or-aparticular slag used, andrelative concen tration: ofrore-in' relation tothe slag, theiore may be substantially entirelydissolved or partly'dis solvedfandjpartlydispersed in the slag. The reducing reaction, however, wills-take place irrespective'of whether the ore is in substantially. dissolved or dispersed state-within theslag. I

A certain control over the ore reduction to metal, and undesirable side reactions with some of the ore constituents, may be controlled to 'some extent in the application of my invention. Thus, for instance, when treating-iron ores for theproduotion ofraw iron in accordance with the invention; a certain control may be effected over the reduction to the element'or there-oxidation of the reduced element derived from such normally present componentsof iron ores as manganese oxides,-silica, phosphor oxides, etc. In this manner, a raw metal and-particularly a raw-iron may be obtained from the collector reservoir which is, to some extent, purer in undesirable constituents of, for instance, Mn, Si,'or-'P, thereby permitting subsequentpurification or scrubbing-to be substantially reduced'in extent'and/or' simplified. In fact, for-manypurposes, the metal obtained may be useful directly as; such byreason of its lower content of these impurities normally materially affecting its characteristics, as is well understood.

Wherever the expression material of the coal type 'oraterm of similar import is used herein, in connection with the reduction to. metalofore and/or the gasification of such a material, it. is intended to designate thereby any material containing carbon and irrespective of whether such material is in its natural state, refined, semirefined, otherwise treated, or artificallyproduced, and including specifically any and all grades and types of hard and soft coals, peats, shales, car.-

hon-containing tars, other carbon-containing materials irrespective of the specificmodification or-structure of the carbon therein, as well as all 3. Improvement according to claim 2 in which said slag is substantially continuously moved in a substantially cyclic current.

4. Improvement according to claim 3 in which said combustion supporting gas is substantially continuously introduced into said slag in a direction and with a velocity sufiicient to thereby cause said slag to move in a substantially cyclic current.

5. Improvement according to claim 4 in which said ore is a particled iron ore.

6. Improvement according to claim 5 in which said particled iron ore and said particled reducing agent are substantially continuously introduced into said slag as a pre-formed mixture.

7. In the reduction to metal of ores, the improvement comprising substantially continuously introducing a particled ore and particled combustible material of the coal type into a molten slag, substantially continuously introducing into said slag a combustion supporting gas in a direction and with a velocity sufficient to thereby cause said slag to movein a substantially cyclic current substantially continuously introducing into said current an endothermic gasification reactant for said combustible material, collecting metal separating from said slag and recovering a combustible gas from above'said slag. v

8. Improvement according to claim 7 in which said ore, said combustible material and said endothermic reactant are substantially continuously introduced into and reacted in a first portion of said slag current defining a first reaction zone, in which said combustion supporting gas is substantially continuously introduced into and substantially exothermically reacted with remaining combustible material in a subsequent portion of said slag current defining a second reaction zone, and in which there is separately recovered a combustible gas from said first zone.

9. Improvement according to claim 8 in which at least a portion of said endothermic reactant is substantially continuously introduced as a gas into said slag in a direction and with a velocity suflicient to co-act with said combustion supporting gas in substantially maintaining such cyclic current.

10. Improvement according to claim 8 in which said particled iron ore and said particled combustible material are substantially continuously introduced into said slag as a pre-formed mixture and substantially in and with a carrier gas substantially continuously entering said slag in a direction and with a velocity suflicient to co-act with said combustion supporting gas in substantially maintaining such cyclic current.

11. Improvement according to claim 10, in

" which said ore is iron ore, in which said carrier bustible material,

12. In the method for the recovery of metals from ores the improvement which comprises continuously introducing a particled combustible into a molten slag containing such ore for the reduction of the ore, substantially continuously introducing a combustion supporting gas into said, slag for reaction with the remaining residue of said particled combustible, and collecting metal separating from said slag.

, 13. In the method for the recovery of pig iron from iron ores, the improvement which comprises substantially continuously contacting such iron ore with a particled combustible in a molten slag for the reduction of the iron ore, continuously'introducing a combustion supporting gas into said slag for reacting with the remaining residues of said particled combustible, and collecting iron metal separating from said slag.

ROMAN RUMMEL.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 350,574 Wainwright Oct. 12, 1888 404,159 Bookwalter May 28, 1889 411,417 Bookwalter Sept. 24, 1889 801,500 Young Oct. 10, 1905 895,513 Thwaite et al. Aug. 11, 1908 7 904,263 Kaiser Nov. 17, 1908 1,031,490 Thomson July 2, 1912 1,255,191 McDonald Feb. 5, 1918 1,313,309 Mambourg Aug. 19, 1919 1,319,061 Garred Oct. 21, 1919 1,559,622 Klotzer Nov. 3, 1925 1,592,861 Leonarz July 20, 1926 1,592,862 Leonarz July 20, 1926 1,592,863 Leonarz July 20, 1926 1,689,734 Lovez Oct. 30, 1928 Winkler Mar. 22, 1938 

1. IN THE REDUCTION TO METAL OF ORES, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A PARTICLED ORE INTO A MOLTEN SLAG, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY CONTACTING SAID ORE IN SAID SLAG WITH A REDUCING AGENT FOR SAID ORE, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A COMBUSTION SUPPORTING GAS INTO SAID SLAG, AND COLLECTING METAL SEPARATING FROM SAID SLAG. 